Overview

Project summary

Goals:

Findings:

Data Overview

Twitter data

Table of data

Here is a sample of the type of twitter information we obtained.

created_at tweet_id full_text user_id user_location geo_type geo_coordinates language retweet_count favorite_count lat lon
Fri Nov 06 18:46:27 +0000 2015 6.627026e+17 A fab Friday looking up the coast toward Isla Vista / UCSB…happy weekend folks! @ Mesa, Santa… https://t.co/DzlPdRsuAf 2.731793e+08 Santa Barbara, California Point c(34.40225341, -119.72285054) en 0 0 34.40225 -119.7229
Sat Apr 18 09:07:06 +0000 2015 5.893545e+17 fact: im doing better than my ex’s 😂 4.220883e+08 in my bag Point c(34.41380322, -119.86048449) en 1 1 34.41380 -119.8605
Fri Sep 22 18:58:59 +0000 2017 9.113038e+17 Wow, trying to smize is harder than you think 👀 @ Santa Barbara, California https://t.co/bOB8TNkMqH 4.160392e+08 Somewhere having a breakdown Point c(34.4258, -119.714) en 0 0 34.42580 -119.7140
Mon Jan 19 22:00:51 +0000 2015 5.572967e+17 @cwhittemore14 I’m very upset with you right meow 9.188847e+07 Isla Vista, CA Point c(34.40982446, -119.70187669) en 0 0 34.40982 -119.7019
Sun Jul 21 02:49:57 +0000 2019 1.152773e+18 Houdini WINE!!! Yes .. it was so good 🥂 @ Santa Barbara, California https://t.co/daRvPVOA9F 1.111038e+18 Montecito, CA Point c(34.4258, -119.714) en 0 0 34.42580 -119.7140
Fri Jul 29 15:50:36 +0000 2016 7.590535e+17 My father, brother, sister and stepmom, met Stella for the 1st time yesterday!!! In this… https://t.co/ixRqaf4NTB 1.759006e+07 Universal Point c(34.41833477, -119.69748266) en 0 0 34.41833 -119.6975
Fri Dec 09 02:51:18 +0000 2016 8.070550e+17 #tbt I started to love this song 31 years ago! @ Deckers Brands https://t.co/r5xCf2Bvmp 2.930586e+07 Santa Barbara, CA Point c(34.42981625, -119.86086009) en 0 1 34.42982 -119.8609
Sat Mar 21 18:11:28 +0000 2015 5.793446e+17 Fuck this 3.301617e+08 ucsb Point c(34.42936315, -119.86941985) en 0 0 34.42936 -119.8694
Fri Feb 24 14:43:34 +0000 2017 8.351381e+17 current weather in Santa Barbara: clear sky, 40°F 52% humidity, wind 16mph, pressure 1020mb 1.203326e+08 Santa Barbara, CA Point c(34.42, -119.7) en 0 0 34.42000 -119.7000
Fri Jun 16 19:40:24 +0000 2017 8.758002e+17 The Gopher us ready for the festival to start! #liveoakartwalk #liveoakfest #liveoak2017 @ Live… https://t.co/sPJKprqFs3 2.358549e+08 NA Point c(34.55768651, -119.88426093) en 0 0 34.55769 -119.8843

Caveats

Required crimson hexagon access

Maps

Interactive with cluster markers

As you zoom in on the map, clusters will disaggregate. You can click on blue points to see the tweet.

Tweet density

This is log-transformed. There is a single coordinate that has over 11,000 tweets reported across all years. It is near De La Vina between Islay and Valerio. There is nothing remarkable about this site so I assume it is the default coordinate when people tag “Santa Barbara” generally. The coordinate is 34.4258, -119.714.

Identifying tourists and locals

If the user has self-identified their location as somewhere in the Santa Barbara area, they are designated a local. This includes Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, Gaviota and UCSB. For the remainder, we use the number of times they have tweeted from Santa Barbara within a year to designate user type. If someone has tweeted across more than 2 months in the same year from Santa Barbara, they are identified as a local. This is consistent with how Eric Fischer determined tourists in his work. This is not fool-proof and there are instances were people visit and tweet from Santa Barbara more than two months a year, especially if they are visiting family or live within a couple hours driving distance.

There are 26408 tweets from tourists and 56468 tweets from locals.

The following map shows tweet log density by locals (top - blue) and tourists (bottom - red).

Identifying nature-based tweets

Applying dictionary

The dictionary is “nature-based” and is a list of words I put together. I had a hard time finding an ontology or lexicon that would fit this project. These are definitely skewed more towards nature and recreation rather than words like “home” or “connection”.

##  [1] "hike"        "trail"       "hiking"      "camping"     "tent"       
##  [6] "climb"       "summit"      "fishing"     "sail"        "sailing"    
## [11] "boat"        "boating"     "ship"        "cruise"      "cruising"   
## [16] "bike"        "biking"      "dive"        "diving"      "surf"       
## [21] "surfing"     "paddle"      "swim"        "ocean"       "beach"      
## [26] "^sea"        "sand"        "coast"       "island"      "wave"       
## [31] "fish"        "whale"       "dolphin"     "pacific"     "crab"       
## [36] "lobster"     "water"       "shore"       "marine"      "seawater"   
## [41] "lagoon"      "slough"      "saltwater"   "underwater"  "tide"       
## [46] "aquatic"     "^tree"       "^earth"      "weather"     "sunset"     
## [51] "sunrise"     "^sun"        "climate"     "park"        "wildlife"   
## [56] "^view"       "habitat"     "^rock"       "nature"      "mountains"  
## [61] "^peak"       "canyon"      "pier"        "wharf"       "environment"
## [66] "ecosystem"

Let’s look at some examples

kable(sample_n(nature_df %>% filter(nature_word == 1), 20)) %>%
  kable_styling(bootstrap_options = c("striped", "condensed"), font_size = 10, fixed_thead = T)
Month Day Time Year full_text user_id user_location geo_coordinates retweet_count favorite_count lat lon month_num date user_type nature_word
Mar 10 05:48:13 2015 cardinals get weatherspoon, iupati, and peters all in one day. great start to free agency 887811144 Brea – UCSB c(34.41831413, -119.86795941) 0 2 34.41831 -119.8680 3 2015-03-10 local 1
Jun 20 16:44:48 2019 🥳#tbt summer solstice parade edition: 🌞we all love the festivities this time of year! please be mindful of harmful confetti plastics that damage our precious environment 🏝use paper confetti sparingly🙏… https://t.co/7xd30hj5md 73460658 Santa Barbara, CA c(34.41922757, -119.7002131) 0 0 34.41923 -119.7002 6 2019-06-20 local 1
Dec 18 02:39:16 2016 how to park a mustang @ santa barbara, california https://t.co/hqinrv01ja 14432203 Manchester c(34.4258, -119.714) 0 0 34.42580 -119.7140 12 2016-12-18 tourist 1
Nov 21 22:20:37 2016 butterfly beach by @posesawkwardly. love his santa barbara photography. if you’re in town, stop… https://t.co/uoqdn9syww 2831364296 27 1/2 E Vivtoria St. Santa Barbara CA c(34.4166923, -119.6951291) 0 0 34.41669 -119.6951 11 2016-11-21 local 1
Jul 11 23:09:32 2015 with shannon (@ santa barbara pier in santa barbara, ca) https://t.co/kwwthf97aw 7344392 Los Angeles via Toronto c(34.41132522, -119.68750725) 0 0 34.41133 -119.6875 7 2015-07-11 tourist 1
Jun 13 19:52:53 2015 view of my set up at the @santabarbaramag 40th anniversary party thursday night at @bacararesortsb 📷… https://t.co/cbztwodtbb 1663278578 NA c(34.43392951, -119.91972663) 0 2 34.43393 -119.9197 6 2015-06-13 local 1
Nov 14 22:57:39 2015 back in #santabarbara enjoying perfect weather. #whatwinter @ santa barbra peir https://t.co/so3qtia4lo 479833743 Santa Maria, CA c(34.40987665, -119.68565533) 0 1 34.40988 -119.6857 11 2015-11-14 tourist 1
Jul 18 06:51:17 2018 🗓my days july/17/2018🗓 🗝" #beachshoot pt10 "🗝 #turnuptuesday #targetedindividuals #teamsingle #butterflybeach #singlelifesucks ____________________________________ #recordingartist… https://t.co/e1g9rck4fr 224387002 Cerritos, CA c(34.41807, -119.64847) 0 0 34.41807 -119.6485 7 2018-07-18 local 1
Feb 18 16:28:11 2016 #tbt to when many of my favorite faves all came together: #beer #bbq #livemusic #biker #bar and… https://t.co/wvpbp2p2ar 20013544 United States c(34.523315, -119.835408) 0 0 34.52331 -119.8354 2 2016-02-18 local 1
Dec 6 17:30:48 2018 sandy top & kailua bottoms in black palm/charcoal🖤 #reversible #okeswim @ santa barbara, california https://t.co/id0d7juvbc 3730122432 |Santa Barbara, CA| c(34.4258, -119.714) 0 0 34.42580 -119.7140 12 2018-12-06 local 1
May 27 01:41:09 2017 what a week! - drinking a pacific rain by @ninkasibrewing @ the mesa — https://t.co/fzwgaoq84o #photo 52174270 iPhone: 34.227627,-119.182358 c(34.4101, -119.708) 0 1 34.41010 -119.7080 5 2017-05-27 local 1
Oct 20 05:54:59 2018 a quick getaway to our favorite place close to home… w/ @saucystaci #santabarbarabeachclub needed to relax & unwind-nothing like a real home theatre and the ocean -this house has it… https://t.co/mfkoiz6dn8 23837032 worldwide c(34.41355947, -119.68751108) 0 0 34.41356 -119.6875 10 2018-10-20 tourist 1
Apr 1 05:42:00 2015 great news, dorade ocean racing crew have passed the isaf sea safety revalidation course with flying colours. http://t.co/raxqbg8zti 484116217 South Coast c(34.41994586, -119.73482297) 2 0 34.41995 -119.7348 4 2015-04-01 local 1
Jun 2 21:43:46 2017 working in the #californiariviera #santabarbara … can’t beat this weather! congrats to rodrigo… https://t.co/n6azpeawaz 3320338008 Ventura, CA c(34.41766309, -119.66939586) 0 1 34.41766 -119.6694 6 2017-06-02 tourist 1
Sep 24 17:25:17 2019 custom printed beach towels with your corporate logo. the perfect giveaway for any outdoor event. it will be used over and over for years to come.
. . . contact us for a free quote: . 📞 516-932-8550 📧… https://t.co/g0acp9ihwc
61270728 New York, NY c(34.43301941, -119.91915584) 0 0 34.43302 -119.9192 9 2019-09-24 tourist 1
Jan 28 17:15:22 2015 capturing a yogi at antelope island state park, the essence of tranquility. @val_brooke #yoga… http://t.co/rqxh1ra0rm 36769733 Santa Barbara, CA c(34.39781754, -119.71991933) 0 0 34.39782 -119.7199 1 2015-01-28 local 1
Apr 23 18:04:59 2017 ❤️worshiping the king of kings and lord of lords❤️ #grateful… https://t.co/klpxi3dvxj 266079193 Santa Barbara c(34.41856211, -119.6842709) 0 0 34.41856 -119.6843 4 2017-04-23 local 1
Jul 10 18:30:55 2016 the tour of cali’s dry rivers continues…. @ santa barbara waterfront https://t.co/uquj7alhki 559991493 Brooklyn c(34.4068286, -119.69361808) 0 0 34.40683 -119.6936 7 2016-07-10 tourist 1
Oct 13 22:01:38 2019 pints in the park 2019 - drinking an imperial redeye by santa barbarians @ elings park — https://t.co/fnsswvkob5 52174270 iPhone: 34.227627,-119.182358 c(34.4088, -119.735) 0 0 34.40880 -119.7350 10 2019-10-13 local 1
Jul 20 16:04:04 2016 #sandpailvase #beachcampingchic #smile4cdd w/ the sun a shinning &… https://t.co/z2tel3bssq 2732476649 San Diego, CA c(34.39361076, -119.52207238) 0 0 34.39361 -119.5221 7 2016-07-20 tourist 1

Where are nature-based tweets?

nature_sf <- nature_df %>%
  st_as_sf(coords = c("lon", "lat")) %>%
  st_set_crs(4326)

hex_tweet_count_nature <- hex_grid %>%
  mutate(tweet_count = lengths(st_intersects(hex_grid, nature_sf %>% filter(nature_word == 1))),
         log_tweet_count = log(tweet_count))

#color palettes
greens = colorRampPalette(c("#E5F5E0", "#00441B"))

m <- mapview(hex_tweet_count_nature %>% filter(tweet_count > 0), 
        zcol = "log_tweet_count", 
        layer.name = "# Nature tweets (log)",
        col.regions = greens) 

m@map %>% setView(lng = -119.714, lat = 34.426, zoom = 12)

Who is tweeting nature-based tweets?

Not surprisingly there are less nature-based tweets than nature-based. Of all tweets, % are nature-based.

Of local tweeters, 13.7643962% of tweets are nature-based. Of tourists, 21.716904% are nature-based.

Are tweets in protected areas more often nature-based?

California Protected Areas Database

Time

Timeline of tweets

Initial hypothesis was identifying spikes in nature-based tweets around three significant events: - Refugio oil spill in 2015 - Thomas fire in 2017 - Debris flow in 2018

Word clouds

top 100 words for locals vs tourist. And we could do this in space. At sterns wharf what are people tweeting about? At Elings, what are locals tweeting about?

Maybe in word clouds we can see some changes due to natural events

All of SB

By area

Sentiment Analysis

Lessons learned

Data is harder to find

Future research

Looking at different scale areas

There might be an interesting comparison between rural-suburban-urban areas. We hypothseize that the tourist/local alignment would split in urban areas, maybe aligned in suburban (like SB) and maybe not exist in rural.

Proportion of words that are nature based tells you how people. In Santa Barbara, there will be a lot of nature-based sense of place. In Manhattan, we wouldn’t expect to see nature based ones so much.

In a blog piece we can pose questions that we couldn’t answer but stuff like “can proportion of tourists/locals in place engagement tell us anything”.

Could compare % nature based tweets in SB to other areas. If we did this across the whole state, what proportion% are nature based? Maybe on average its just 5%.

Where and why do locals and tourists overlap in their use of area. SB seems to have a high alignment of tourists/locals, which may be helpful for local policy. Maybe places with distinct differences in how tourists/locals use places.

Look at cities of different coastal sizes rural - small town - urban - mega city. Could see how tourists/locals patterns differentiate across scale.

Is there a threshold of tourists where locals don’t go anymore?

In areas where we see both tourists and locals engaging, what characteristics do we see?

Quantifying transitions between rural to city.